Omer Ben-Shachar - 22
California/Israel

After he's been cast (again!) as a background tree in his annual middle school play, an ambitious and imaginative Israeli immigrant boy leads a revolution on stage that his intolerant drama teacher will never forget.

Opening Night

Abena Taylor-Smith - 24
United Kingdom

A bittersweet love letter to adolescence in small town England.

Closing Night: Generation NOW

Alexander Zorn - 24, Jacob Zorn - 24, Zoe White - 21
Chicago

A queer geriatric nurse learns one of life's hardest lessons when he falls in love with one of his elderly patients.

Centerpiece

Sarah Nocquet - 19
New York

When a picture perfect community coerces a foreign pregnant woman into hypnosis, she must fight to save her baby from the overpowering forces of conformity.

Centerpiece

Giselle Bonilla - 23, Alex Hass - 22, Aqsa Altaf - 24, Jean Ng - 22
California

Josefina’s failed attempt at masturbating charges her with attempted suicide.

Closing Night: Generation NOW

Mackie Mallison - 19
New York

Maricela persists in keeping her younger brother Ezequiel up during the night until the morning sun — fearing what will come once he falls asleep.

Centerpiece

Hao Zheng - 24
California

In a time when work is done by robots, a traditional Chinese chef is forced to train a Caucasian humanoid to cook Chinese food, but a former protégé of the chef makes this harder by joining an anti-robot riot group.

Palpable Performances

Hai Raihan - 24
China

A Mongolian single mother fights to save her son who is about to be executed, only to discover that the absence of justice is crushing her life.

Cinematic Journey

Karl Jungquist - 22, Mitch Martino - 22, Perry Balmer - 22, Neema Sadeghi - 22, Marie Marchant - 22
California

In a future where nearly all wildlife has gone extinct, a former circus showman seeks revenge on the animal that ruined his life.

A Screening Darkly

Linnea Ritland - 22, Kyle Vollstaedt - 24; Courtney Verwold - 24
Canada

Everything's Great! is a comedy-drama about an awkward, hapless lesbian who bounces between a messy not-relationship relationship and her alcoholic-dad-soaked home life, trying to find stability in others—and eventually finding it in herself.

The Long & Short of It